New football head coach Ryan Nourse hits the ground running

The University of Montana Western’s new head football coach Ryan Nourse hit the ground running when he returned to his alma mater to take over the Bulldog gridiron squad. UMW NEWS BUREAU
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The University of Montana Western’s new head football coach Ryan Nourse hit the ground running when he returned to his alma mater to take over the Bulldog gridiron squad.
Nourse has hired six assistant coaches and his new crew is already busy with the team and scouring for new recruits.
“The guys are working hard,” Nourse said of his team and coaches. “They’re all giving a great effort. I keep telling them, ‘Those who commit will be champions, it just takes the will to prepare.’ A great season always starts in January.”
Nourse knows a thing or two about being a champion. He was a wide receiver for the 1994 Frontier Conference Montana Western championship team. Under then head coach Bob Beers, Nourse said he and his teammates learned what it meant to prepare and win.
“The biggest thing about Coach Beers was that he made sure we knew we were winners, that if you’re willing to work and prepare you can be a champion,” Nourse said.
Nourse said Beers’ winning attitude was contagious.
“It was an incredible time on campus because of the excitement the team created,” Nourse added. “Seeing our potential realized by the end of the year was amazing. Every once in awhile you get a chance to be part of a great team. That was a great team to be a part of. Great camaraderie and a great group of guys.”
Nourse is hoping to inspire a similar attitude in his team going into the 2011-2012 season. Nourse said doing so requires setting goals and then learning how to push past any limitations to reach and exceed those goals.
“It’s about learning to give more than they thought they could,” Nourse said of his team.
Nourse came to Montana Western in December 2010 from Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa where he was the offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach, recruiting coordinator and camp coordinator during 2010 and the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator from 2003 to 2008.
Nourse earned a Bachelor of Science in History and Political Science Education from Montana Western in 1997. He was also a starting wide receiver for the Bulldogs and was part of the Hall of Fame 1994 Frontier Conference Championship team.
“This university really helped mold me into a teacher and coach,” Nourse said of his alma mater. “It has been a driving force in my career since then.”
Nourse also earned a Masters of Arts in Professional Education from Morningside College in 2007. While he had a very successful career at Morningside, including earning the 2007 NAIA National Assistant Coach of the Year award, Nourse said he jumped at the opportunity to return to Montana Western and Dillon.
“To come back and see the changes made and how vibrant the campus is further validated this decision for me,” Nourse explained. “I find the very unique academic environment here provides tremendous opportunities to recruit new student athletes. The potential here is amazing. Our student athletes have to have the belief in their own and collective unlimited potential. The exciting thing for me is instilling that passion in our team.”
Stay tuned for more news on the Bulldog football team.